Description Of Classes
At Island Park Elementary School, I teach kindergarten
through fifth grade general music and am honored to partner with Mr. Jesse Jaramillo for most of
our primary classes. Our main objective is to teach the love and enjoyment
of music to every child in our music classroom. By doing this, we hope to
instill a life-long desire to seek out music in our students' lives. We also
focus on meeting the state standards in music education by teaching students
how to read, write and understand music.
We focus on the main musical elements in every grade
level. These include melody, rhythm, form, harmony, and tone color. We also
cover elements of dance, expressive elements, composers, and focus the study
of sol-feg especially in the primary grades. To enhance the skill of reading
and writing music, class piano is taught in the second, third and fifth grades
with a major focus during the months of October through December. Fourth graders
get additional music reading practice by learning to play the recorders. We
also value teaching with the use of xylophones, metallophones, and glockenspiels
as well as other percussion instruments using Orff
Schulwerk arrangements and experimentation. By doing so, we incorporate
a variety of teaching tools to stimulate the children. Students regularly
sing songs, play instruments, dance and use creative movement to express music,
listen to music, play musical games and complete worksheets to enhance their
musical learning.
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Fourth and fifth graders have the extra
opportunity of accessing computers in the classroom. On these stations,
students expand their knowledge of music concepts with the use of
Alfred's Essentials of Music Theory, Music Ace I and II, Sybelius,
Juilliard's Music Adventure, Garage Band and several other CD-Rom
choices. Students have the capability to compose music via midi keyboard
stations. I continue to research other music multi-media programs
to enhance the study of cultures, composers, and music theory.
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Finally, as a vocal performer and dancer, we believe
that one of the most exciting aspects of music is being able to perform.
It is the culmination of all the hard work and discipline needed to perform
music well that brings a sense of teamwork and community to a group. To
enhance this, we have students perform in several assemblies and/or concerts
throughout the year. In addition, the third graders will have the opportunity
to perform at the Mercer Island Fine Arts Showcase, fourth and fifth graders
may join the Island Park Concert Choir, and fifth graders can elect to join
band and orchestra. And, yes,the fifth graders will perform in the traditional
Island Park Musical in early spring! Please feel free to contact me if you
would like to volunteer your time in the classroom or for the musical.
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Extracurricular Activities
Extracurricular activities for music include:
Band: Band begins in 5th grade and is held before
school from 8:15 to 9:00 am at Islander Middle School or Mercer Island High
School. Students can learn to play the flute, clarinet, trumpet,
trombone, baritone, French Horn, and percussion (note:
there is limited space for percussion, percussion students do not attend
before school classes until January, lessons are taken after-school instead). District
bus transportation is provided for Band and Orchestra students. More information,
including dates and frequently asked questions, can be found on the 5th
Grade Instrumental Information website.
Orchestra: Orchestra begins in 5th grade
and is held before school from 8:15 to 9:00 am at Islander Middle School.
Students can learn to play the violin, viola, cello, and string bass.
District bus transportation is provided for Band and Orchestra students. More
information, including dates and frequently asked questions, can be found on
the 5th
Grade Instrumental Information website.
Choir: Choir is open to all 4th and 5th grade
students and is held before school from 8:15 to 9:00 am at Island Park Elementary
School. There is a Fall Session from late September to November and a Spring
Session from April to June. Contact Mrs.
Hamp for more information.
Musical: All fifth graders participate in the
Island Park Musical in early spring. Rehearsals take place during the school
day as well as before/after school for students with larger roles. Contact
Mrs. Hamp if you would like
to help!
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Expectations
My expectation is that every student will choose
to make positive actions and promote positive feelings in the music
classroom. It is only when this happens that all students are ready
and able to learn. To help promote this, the following rules and consequences
are followed in the classroom. These responsibilities are discussed
and posted at the beginning of the year.
Student Responsibilities
1. Enter and exit the music room
in a quiet and organized manner.
2. Respect people and their property.
3. Be attentive to teacher instructions so all may learn.
4. Participate positively and safely in all activities.
5. Do your work to the best of your ability.
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Consequences
If a student chooses to disregard the class rules,
1. The student will receive a warning.
2. The student will receive a second warning and their daily grade
will be lowered.
3. For the younger students, a third warning will remove the student
from the "circle". They go to the back of the room and think about
their actions. When they feel ready to return and behave appropriately,
they are welcome back. For the older students, a third warning constitutes
the loss of recess time and a chance to reflect.
4. If a fourth warning is necessary, the student is removed from
the class for the period. The learning of the other children must
not be continually disrupted. The student will lose more recess privileges
and the parents will be contacted.
* If a student's behavior is repeatedly disruptive or dangerous, the
student will not receive the first warnings but will move straight
to time-out and parental contact.
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Grading
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Students are evaluated on their
effort, knowledge and skill through out each quarter. Second
and third graders complete written assignments to display
their learning while fourth and fifth graders are also given
final assessments to show their knowledge. The fourth and fifth
graders will also have homework periodically to enhance their
understanding of musical concepts.
Fourth and fifth graders may improve
their grade by showing extra dedication to music acheivement
by doing extra-curricular activities.This could include
music lessons, writing a report on a musical performance,
or a project of their choice. To download a pdf
copy of the extra activities form,
click here. Please
visit me in the classroom or contact me if you wish more
information.
For a detailed view of what knowledge and
skills our students are assessed on, view the Mercer
Island Schools Curriculum and Learning Targets.
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Melody Assignments
Dturing our melody unit in the fall, 4th and 5th
grade students are responsible for turning in weekly assignments. Students
can find extra copies of all assignments in the music room file cabinet and
many are downloadable here.
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Essential Academic Learning Requirements for the Arts
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Visit Our Classroom
Our classroom is set up in two general areas: one that features our fifteen electronic keyboards utilizing the Yamaha Music in Education (MIE) technology-based keyboard system and the other being open space allowing for movement, percussion instrument use, and other music activities. This is a view from the front of the keyboard stations.
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Practice Lessons
I have included some extra assignments for your
child to practice. I hope these allow you to have a better idea of the
knowledge your child is gaining in music. Maybe your child can teach
you something new about music!
Note: This is a section in progress. The pages
that are ready for use
have an asterick in front of them.
Look for more worksheets as I find the time to create them!
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Music Education Sites to Visit 
Here are some music education web sites I have viewed on the internet. I
hope you find them fun to visit also!
Piano
on the Net- a classy and in depth web site that takes you step
by step through piano lessons. Good for the beginner as well as advanced
student. It contain a gift store.
Guide
to the Orchestras- open your ears to the amazing world of the
orchestra and it's musicians at this site created by England's BBC.
Musical
Mysteries- a lively interactive site allowing students to have
fun while exploring basic musical concepts in sound, rhythm and mood. This
site was also created by the BBC staff.
The
New York Philharmonic Kidzone- Play Mozart's Minuet Game, create
your own instruments, try the Music Match, watch interviews with musicians,
and follow the orchestra around the world! This site is full of fun activities!
The San Francisco
Symphony Kid's Site- this fun site teaches the instruments
of the orchestra, the basics of reading music, and has an online radio to
listen to some classical music's greatest hits.
The Classical Music Pages - find information about
classical music history, composers (with portraits and short sound examples),
explanations of various musical forms and definitions provided by Grove's
Dictionary of Music.
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